Cruel Fate
by project-jay89
Summary: They fell in love time and time again. Yet fate is a cruel mistress and in times of war one must learn to deny their own wants in favor of the greater good.


**AN:** I really should be working on Redemption but this little idea randomly hit me and wouldn't leave me alone.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Legend of Zelda or any characters within.

**Warning:**** This story contains spoilers for Skyward Sword and various other Zelda games. This is also to be considered AU!  
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In a perfect world love might have been possible. In a perfect world, soul mates could come together and their union would be celebrated. Hyrule was not a perfect world. Zelda could remember the turmoil that plagued her past incarnations and how each time, as fate predicted, the hero was born to bring down the bearer of Power. Love could not bloom where blood, sweat and warfare mixed with the tears of her demolished people. Trampled, muddy landscapes spread out in her memories like a plague and poisoned her dreams on the rare occasion that she allowed herself a measure of slumber. She was tired. She was... defeated? Yes, perhaps. So very weary of playing the role that fate set before her, at the very least.

The princess closed her eyes for a fleeting moment. The vague memory of a dark hand caressing her cheek with calloused fingers invaded her thoughts. Soft, willing and yet mildly chapped lips pressed to her own and... she opened her eyes. The sight of the Twilight Realm outside of her window cast a hard, stark contrast to the loveliness of her recollections. She frowned, arranged her skirts and stood to approach the window- gripping the ledge tightly with her pristine, white, glove-clad fingers. She knew if she could see her knuckles then they would have been white. The sharp, tingling sensation as blood fled her fingertips while she temporarily cut off circulation with her grip proved an effective reminder that the past was the past and that there was no guarantee that Ganondorf Dragmire would find solace in her _this_ time. Not that it would prove an immediate end to hostilities leastways. He, like Wisdom and Courage, was bound by fate to play his role as the curse of the demon Demise. It was their fate to stop him- kill him or seal him away. Whichever proved the most effective.

Oh... she knew that the God the insane Twili Zant spoke of could be none other than the dark Gerudo king- scorned as his people had been and denied the luxuries they deserved by the father of an earlier Zelda. The current incarnation rather thought it had been a stupid decision for a king. Though, she had found, that never had the father of _any_ Zelda been considered competent on the throne. It had to be that way, of course, for destiny to come full circle. Hyrule had to be ripe for the taking each and every time and the curse made it so.

For now, for this world, the story would soon end. She could sense the Twilight Realm's hold on Hyrule weakening and knew the hero was fulfilling his own destiny. That poor, helpless boy. He was just as much a pawn as she and Ganondorf. More so, perhaps, because he was _never_ aware of his destiny ahead of time. Always thrown in head first and expected to _learn or die_. Pitiful. Zelda hated destiny.

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The creaking of her door reminded her that she was not alone in the castle. No, she knew she wasn't but the silence of the Twilight Realm was often maddening. Yet it was the large shadow across the door that made her pause, grasp the edge of the book she had been reading and set it aside slowly with shaking fingers. "I wasn't sure if you would come, desert king." Her heart pounded and lept into her throat. She swallowed against it reflexively.

"You doubted me, princess? My loyalty to you?" His voice was deep and sent a shiver down her spine. That game had been played before in the past. Not every Zelda had fallen in love with her Ganondorf, but once it began... well... the heart did have a tendency to hold on. He was just as much a slave to emotion as she was and she could tell by the way he tentatively took steps forward and hesitated before reaching out. About to place a hand on her cheek, he recoiled suddenly. "You won't look at me. Why?" She couldn't see him but she knew he was frowning. It made her heart ache.

"It's been so long. I didn't know if you'd remembered this time." Blue eyes found orange and he watched as he raised a hand to rub his bearded cheek.

Ganondorf sighed yet in the end he gave a lopsided, confident, roguish smile. Boyish in some ways but ruggedly handsome in others. "I seem to remember you asking the same question of me last time... and the time before that... and the time before that. My answer, as always, remains the same." As he spoke the words she stood and took his offered hand- letting him remove her glove in favor of tracing her slender fingers with his own large hands.

"Will fate change this time?" Zelda ventured to ask.

The desert king shrugged. "You're the bearer of Wisdom. _You_ tell _me_." His eyes seemed to burrow into her soul. Zelda's breath hitched.

She pursed her lips and willed tears not to come. "No. No it won't."

Ganondorf grasped her hand as if refusing to let go but, suddenly, allowed his grip to slip from hers. His eyes blazed. "Then you have your answer."

Zelda's throat constricted and she willed herself not to sob- managing to only have need of her handkerchief to dab the corners of her eyes. "Fate is cruel to deny love. Love isn't wrong. They say love can fix anything but how can that be so if it cannot save _us_?"

He turned from her and faced the window- keeping his own desolate, lonely expression from her knowing gaze. "Fate _is_ cruel. But could you have expected any less? We're just pawns in a large game of chess. You'd best learn to play your role, princess. Every other incarnation did and you'll be no different in the end." His cloak swirled behind him as he made an about turn and strode for the door. Small, fragile fingers curled around his wrist and the desperation in her grip made it like iron despite the fact that she would never be strong enough to physically stop him. It was the _emotion_ that made him turn. "Zelda-" Ganondorf's words were cut off as her lips pressed to his. It was a bittersweet kiss and just like every other one they had shared in other lives- hello and goodbye melting into one and flavored with the salt of her tears.

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**AN:** There we go! A oneshot made just to release some pent up creativity. It's blunt, to the point and basically has connections to certain games but I wasn't looking for real accuracy. I'd be willing to expand on it, however, if it got enough interest.


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